A High Court ruling yesterday sent a powerful message to the Electoral Commission - do your job, that’s what you are there for, says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.
"The commission failed to uphold the law in the last General Election, which is exactly why we sought a judicial review, which the court has granted.
"We had laid complaints with the commission over advertisements by the ACT Party and the Conservative Party, saying they were in breach of the Electoral Act and should be referred to the police. But the commission did not agree.
"We were forced to fight a General Election with false information being put out because the commission was abysmally silent when two political players broke the law. "The court has ruled in our favour saying the commission misinterpreted the law.
"The Electoral Commission is there to do a job. That job is to prosecute when there is wrongdoing.They failed to do so.
"This is a wake-up call for the commission, and to political parties, and will hopefully lead to better practice in the next general election," Mr Peters said.
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